Nowadays, it is very common for an electronic device such as a computer to be connected to a network including a local area network (LAN), which spans a relatively small area, e.g., a building, a group of buildings, etc. Typically, the computer includes a network card or network circuitry to be connected to a network switch, and thus a network. The computer, usually via the network card, includes speed options such as 10Base-T, 100Base-T, 1000Base-T, etc., to transfer data at different speeds. A 10Base-T system supports data speed at up to 10 megabits per second; a 100Base-T system supports data at up to 100 megabits per second; and a 1000Base-T system supports data at up to 1 gigabit per second. In some approaches, the switch sets the transfer rate to the highest speed advertised by the computer. For example, if the computer advertises that it can support both 10 and 100Base-T, and if the switch can support both 10 and 100Base-T, then the switch sets the speed to 100Base-T. However, in one approach, once the computer is set to a particular speed, it is assigned to a network of the same speed and cannot communicate with a computer or another device in another network of a different speed. For example, if the computer is set to 100Base-T, it is assigned to a “100BaseT” network and can only communicate with devices in this of 100Base-T network, but cannot communicate with devices in a different network, e.g., a “10Base-T” network. Similarly, when the computer is set to 10Base-T, it is assigned to a 10Base-T network and cannot communicate with other devices in the 100Base-T network. A bridge or similar mechanisms connecting two different networks can allow devices in the two different networks to communicate with one another. However, such a solution usually requires extra hardware and associated costs.
A full duplex system that transfers data between two parties allows both parties to concurrently transmit the data while a half duplex system allows only one party to transmit the data at a time. In many situations, the switch forces a default duplex to the computer, and the computer has no choice but to operate at such a forced duplex. For example, the switch forces a computer to be half-duplex and 10Base-T if the computer does not enable its auto-negotiate option.
Based on the foregoing, it is desirable that mechanisms be provided to solve the above deficiencies and related problems.